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Protesters in Haiti demand President Michel Martelly’s resignation

A demonstrator holds an image of Haiti's former president Jean-Bertrand Aristide during an anti-government protest in Port-au-Prince on Thursday. About 2,000 protesters snaked through the capital, calling on President Michel Martelly to resign.Photo: DIEU NALIO CHERY/The Associated Press

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — President Michel Martelly’s critics have closed a major thoroughfare in Port-au-Prince.

About 2,000 protesters snaked through the capital Thursday, calling on Martelly to resign and accusing him of corruption.

Protesters perform a voodoo ceremony as they hold an image of Haitian President Michel Martelly over a coffin draped with one of his election banners Thursday in Port-au-Prince.(DIEU NALIO CHERY/The Associated Press)

Before being dispersed by riot police and UN peacekeepers, some demonstrators closed John Brown Ave., by scattering rocks across the roadway.

An Associated Press photographer saw police detain at least 10 protesters. The police department’s spokesman could not be immediately located for comment.

A demonstrator is detained by a police officer during an anti-government protest in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Thursday.(DIEU NALIO CHERY/The Associated Press)

It was the third large anti-government protest in a week. Several thousand demonstrators rallied Saturday in the northern city of Cap-Haitien, reports said. Demonstrators smashed car windows during a Monday march through Port-au-Prince.

The protests are an apparent response to mounting pressure on the opposition to sign an agreement to hold long-overdue local and legislative elections.